


The Golden Days

by kenwave, TimelessTragedy



Series: The Fire That Burns [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: How They Met, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Prequel, SEP era, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-12-30 00:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12096489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenwave/pseuds/kenwave, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimelessTragedy/pseuds/TimelessTragedy
Summary: Gabriel joined the military to die, he didn't expect to find a reason to live.





	1. Won't Last a Day

**Author's Note:**

> So many thanks to the friend who beta reads for us, without her I'd be lost.

All of his hard work, all of his dedication and effort, it had all led up to this. To him sitting there, by himself, in the back corner of an overcrowded mess hall trying to ignore the other rowdy soldier wannabes as they filed in. He scowled at them as he jabbed at his food absently with a fork, his stomach twisting unhappily. He tried to guess how long each soldier would last in the field. 

Brute near the front of the line, he gave a month if he could keep from running straight into enemy fire. Scrawny he gave a year if he had any brains, he'd be useful if he did. But toward the very end of the line stood a guy he couldn't even give a day. 

He was all soft features and hunched shoulders, eyes downcast and clothes almost ill fitting. The fresh haircut and poor posture screamed newbie, as did the anxious lines around the mouth. 

He watched the newbie get jostled by one of bullies they had the unfortunate pleasure of being stationed with, his jaw tightening as he stood up. He made his way over, casual as he could manage, and got in line. 

The new kid was a blond, and even softer up close. He had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He gave him six hours.

"Hey watch it!" Newbie snapped at the man who bumped into him, shooting him a glare with piercing eyes.

He was sneered at, the bully standing tall over the kid. "You talking to me, runt?"

“Yes, I am.”

"You better watch your back, runts like you don't last a week."

The newbie straightened his back, staring down his nose at the bully in front of him. "I invite you to try. You're just scared of a runt besting you."

The brute's hand curled into a fist and he loomed over the blond, glaring down at him with fire in his eyes. "You want to go?"

"I can take you. At least I'm not afraid of losing!"

The bully swung first, and that was when he stepped in, reaching past the newbie to catch the flying fist. 

"Can we not get blood on the tiles? It's a bitch to clean," he said flatly, raising a brow.

The newbie snorted at the words. "Thanks," he said, loud enough for Gabriel to hear but quiet enough that the bully wouldn't.

"Stay out of it, Reyes," the bully spat, jerking his hand free. 

"Back down, Kavanagh, before I break your nose. Again."

The newbie shuffled on his feet. "I'm done with you, Kavanagh. I want my food."

Gabriel brushed past the man, motioning for the kid to follow him.

He did, following two steps behind him as a subordinate normally would.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Morrison, sir. Jack Morrison."

He fought down the urge to roll his eyes. "Reyes, Gabriel. When'd you enlist?"

"Couple years ago."

"Really?" He stared down at the blond.

"Yeah," Jack answered, running a hand through his buzzed hair.

"You look like you're straight out of high school."

"What? No I don't!" he huffed.

"You're baby faced," he pointed out. "And tiny."

"We can't all be born with facial hair," Jack snapped with a frown, shoulders hunching forward.

Gabriel laughed, trying to cover it with a cough.

"Hey I heard that!" Jack's lips curled up into a small smile.

"You heard nothing," he said back, though he didn't fight a smile of his own. "Get your food, you're sitting with me."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Sure, you can sit with me or you can sit with that asshole."

"Well when you put it that way..." he trailed off, dashing off to get back in line for his food.

He stood back to wait, tapping his fingers off the side of his leg.

It didn't take much longer for Jack to return, tray in hand with the washed out looking food. He managed to squeeze into a chair beside Gabriel, joining him in his corner.

He went back to brutalizing his own meal, not really trying to eat.

Jack watched, half heartedly eating his food.

"What made you sign up, Morrison?"

"The military offered some benefits I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Also gave me a chance to get away from small town life," he answered.

He nodded. "I get it."

Jack smiled. "I'm glad. Some people here don't. Kavanagh clearly joined to show he's a man's man. When in reality he probably hasn't come to terms with the fact he's gay or something."

Gabriel choked on a mouthful of food, grinning widely at Jack as soon as he could breathe.

"What!?"

"Oh, you'll fit right in here, kid."

Jack shot him a dejected look. "I'm not a kid."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, Morrison."

Jack smirked. "See? Not that hard."

"There's a reason I sit in a back corner by myself," he said flatly.

"Because you'll laugh at my attempts at a joke and don't want to interrupt anyone?"

He worked his jaw, stunned to silence. A moment later and he was shaking his head, laughing under his breath.

Jack smiled, blue eyes sparkling.

"So, Jack," Gabriel started, resting an elbow on the table, leaning in slightly. "Are you gay?"

Jack laughed. "What makes you ask that?"

"Just curious." He dropped his shoulder and turned back to his tray, eyeing his food before pushing it away. He wasn't hungry.

"I'm actually bisexual," Jack answered, finishing off what was on his plate with a grimace.

He nodded. "Good to know. "You done eating?"

"Hey how come I don't get something from you for me answering that question?"

He glanced over as he climbed to his feet, picking up the tray on his way. "Why would you want to know?"

"An answer for an answer," Jack responded.

"You don't want to know. And I never agreed to that." He started toward the trash.

"What do you mean I don't want to know? You can't just ask me something personal like my sexuality and then when I return the favour you get cold feet!"

He groaned. "I'm bi, you happy?"

"See, that wasn't hard." Jack crossed his arms.

"Sure. See you 'round." 

He left the mess hall, mood soured.


	2. The First of Many

"Everyone, try to remain calm," a nurse said over the loud, pitiful groans of the soldiers around her. She walked between the beds, checking on the men one by one as they suffered through the treatments meant to sculpt them into perfect weapons.

Gabriel stayed on his side as pain coursed through him, grinding his teeth and digging his nails into the skin of his arm that felt like it would break at any second. When he imagined the white bone poking through he shut his eyes. It hurt like _hell_.  
  
"Are you dead?" a weak voice peeped out from the other side of the partition. Quiet enough that he wouldn't get in trouble by the nurse.  
  
He jumped. It jarred every nerve in his body, setting each one alight. He swore, and loud.

A blond head poked through the curtains, face covered in sweat, skin looking almost grey.  
  
"Kid?" he called, vision swimming. He pushed himself up, beckoning for him to come in.

Jack moved over, slow and unsteady. He didn't really sit down on the bed, but fell, landing gracelessly onto the hard mattress. Gabriel set a hand on his shoulder.

He stiffened when one particularly painful groan from a man a few beds over cut through the silence.  
  
"You'll be fine," Gabriel found himself saying, even as his body burned and his stomach churned. He kept one hand on Jack's shoulder. "You'll be fine, kid."  
  
"I've been to the battlefield. I've heard and seen worse than this and reacted less. So why is this what gets to me."  
  
"Fuck if I know. Try 'n tune it out."  
  
" _How_?" Jack asked, hands clenching into the white sheets.  
  
He sighed through his teeth. "Talk."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You, I guess."  
  
"What is there to say? I grew up in Fuckville Indiana on a farm." Jack moved up to the headboard, now resting beside Gabriel.  
  
"Everyone's got a story," he pointed out, leaning his head back, closing his eyes again. He dug his nails into the bed. "Siblings? Parents? I don't know, pets?"

"Only child with two loving moms. I got horses, barn cats, a dog, and several chickens," Jack answered every question, ticking them off on his fingers.

He snorted. "I can practically picture it. Didn't peg you for a guy with two mothers, but that's cool."  
  
Jack shrugged. "It's not really something people guess about someone. I've had some... Uncomfortable responses when I've told some people."  
  
"Fuck 'em."  
  
"I have." Jack chuckled.  
  
Once again, Gabriel choked, coming to stare at him with wide eyes.  
  
"What?!" he exclaimed.  
  
"You're... full of surprises, kid, fuck."  
  
"How is that a surprise with how I look?" Jack smirked, wincing slightly in pain.  
  
"You look like the innocent high schooler that tries to be teacher's pet."  
  
Jack frowned. "It's this stupid haircut I swear. It makes me look 14."  
  
"You're not wrong," Gabriel teased.  
  
"Stupid regulations."  
  
"You get used to 'em."  
  
Jack shot Gabriel a blank look. "I know that."  
  
"How old're you, anyway, kid?"  
  
"Twenty one. Old enough to drink."  
  
"And you signed up, what, as soon as you turned 18?"  
  
"Yep. It was either that or clean horse shit."  
  
Gabriel nodded, closing his eyes in response to his spinning head. "I can see why you picked this."  
  
Jack's eyebrows drew together, lips pursed with concern. "Are you okay, man?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"You're... looking a bit green."  
  
He peeled his back off the headboard and leaned forward to put his head between his knees. The pain was getting harder to ignore. "'m fine."

"You sure?" Jack placed a hand on Gabriel's upper back, beginning to rub gentle circles.  
  
"Yeah, I just..." He swallowed down bile, grinding his teeth. "Yeah."

Jack continued rubbing, sometimes changing the pattern to simple pictures. Trees, clouds, a star, some sort of animal Gabriel thinks.  
  
He let his eyes slide closed for a moment, focusing on the feeling of the gentle touch. He opened them again when something wet slide down his chin, and for minute he stared.   
  
That was red.  
  
He sat up a little and ran his other hand over his mouth. It came away with a streak of red.   
  
He wheezed.  
  
"Gabriel?" Jack's voice was hesitant, scared.  
  
"I'm... I'm fine, kid..."  
  
"You don't look it."  
  
"I think I should lay down..."  
  
Jack nodded, helping him lie back down on the bed, turning him over onto his side. "I'm going to get a nurse."  
  
"Don't bother..." he muttered.  
  
"Something could be really wrong."  
  
"Or you're just overreacting. I'm doing better than a lot of the other guys here."  
  
There was a loud moan of pain from a few beds over.  
  
"Maybe. But you have internal bleeding and that can end badly," Jack explained, attempting to look around the partition for a nurse.  
  
"What about you? How're you doing?" He shut his eyes, trying to ignore the taste of copper in his mouth.  
  
"Dizzy and nauseous for the most part. My stomach was cramping pretty bad earlier but I think that's over. I hope."  
  
"You're over the worst of this round..."  
  
Jack nodded. "I'm pretty sure I am. Hold on a minute, Gabriel, I'll get us some water."  
  
He didn't respond, didn't have the energy to. He tried to stop shaking as blood dribbled from his nose and mouth.

It didn't take long for Jack to return, a nurse rushing after him. She was immediately by his side, checking his vitals.  
  
His awareness slipped away fast.

Consciousness started to come back to him in waves, something squeezing his hand tightly.   
  
"He's awake! Thank God..."  
  
He slowly opened his eyes, the light harsh. Everything felt like pain.  
  
"Open your mouth." The voice was Jack's.  
  
He obeyed sluggishly, trying to focus on the other man's face.  
  
Something cold and hard was pressed against his tongue. Slowly it began to melt. An icecube, his mind supplied.   
  
"You back with us?"  
  
"Jack...?" He winced at the sound of his voice, raw and weak.  
  
"Yeah, it's me. Good thing I went to find a nurse when I did you were lying in your own blood," Jack explained, pressing another ice cube to Gabriel's lips.  
  
He waited for it to melt before speaking again. "That bad?"  
  
Jack frowned. "We're already down several soldiers, Gabe. And we almost lost you."  
  
His stomach twisted. "I'll be fine in a couple days. How many'd we lose?"  
  
"Eight I think. They'll want you here for observation for the next couple days."  
  
He growled under his breath. "Waste of time."  
  
"It'd be a waste of time if you're dead too," Jack snapped, shoving another ice cube into Gabriel's face.  
  
The older man winced at Jack’s tone.  
  
"Stop complaining. It could be worse."  
  
"Yeah, I could be dead," he said flatly, looking away.  
  
"I was thinking more along the lines of missing limbs, but yeah, that works too." Jack waved a nurse over who began checking his vitals once again.  
  
He tolerated being poked and prodded, doing his best to convince her that he was _fine_ and he didn't need days to rest, giving up with a scowl when she threatened to sedate him.  
  
"I can tell you stories about cows if you want me to while you stay here."  
  
"Cows?" he repeated, surprised.

"I grew up on a farm, remember." Jack handed Gabriel a cup of water with a straw.  
  
He took it, sipping at it slowly. "So you stayed?"  
  
"Yeah. Made sure you didn't die in the night or anything," he explained.  
  
He frowned. "How long was I out?"  
  
Jack shrugged. "It's the next day."  
  
"Fuck... Look, Jack, I... I guess I owe you thanks. For staying, I mean."

"Not a problem. Think of it as repayment for that first day." He smirked.

He groaned, running a hand over his face. "You should forget that ever happened, kid."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I'm an asshole who doesn't make friends. You're wasting your time on me," he said through his teeth, not looking at Jack.

Jack frowned. "At least let me decide who I think is a waste of time to befriend or not."

_Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

" _Fine_ , I'm not the one losing anything."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Alright." He leaned back in the seat, staring at the ceiling, letting Gabriel fume.

It took a while for his temper to calm, and by the time it had he was dozing lightly, trying his best to ignore the way his bones still ached. He stirred occasionally, each time searching blearily for signs Jack hadn't vanished on him.

Throughout his light doze, Jack's hands were holding one of Gabriel's, gently squeezing occasionally.

It was late at night when he woke again fully, heart pounding and heart in his throat. A nightmare he couldn’t remember lurked at the edge of his mind, leaving him in a panic.

A hand squeezed tightly around his own.

He tried to catch his breath, meeting Jack's eyes.

"Nightmares?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. I've been getting them a lot lately." He rubbed at his eyes. "You slept?"

Jack shrugged. "There were some brief naps here and there," he said, looking off to the side.

"You know if I've made it this long it's unlikely this round will kill me. Anyone who dies because of the treatment dies within a few hours."

"I know..." Jack trailed off, lips turned downwards. "You're the only friend I got here. You haven't made me _prove myself_ to you."

"Why would I need you to prove yourself? If anything you've already done that. Not many people would stay at the bedside of an ass they met a week ago."

Jack shrugged, shuffling in his seat. He looked like he wanted to be everywhere but there. "You said it though, I'm babyfaced. A runt."

"You made it through this round better than of them. There's nothing to prove. They won't last half as long as you."

Jack's laugh was strained. "One of the ones who died was Kavanagh."

It made him pause. "Really? Damn. Wouldn't have guessed that. Don't think about it too much."

Jack nodded, but he didn't look like he'd stop thinking about it. He reached over to set a hand on the man's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Heh you just had a nightmare and here I am making you comfort me."

"Nah," Gabriel said warmly. "Nah, this helps. Thanks, kid."

"Uh you're welcome I guess."

"You should try to sleep. And I mean more than a cat nap."

"You promise not to die?" Jack held out his hand, pinky out.

With an exaggerated eye roll and sigh, Gabriel completed the pinky promise. "I won't die."

"Good." Jack gave him a smile before leaving, shooting him one last look with an awkward hand wave.

He stayed awake until his heart rate had slowed again and his stomach had settled. He didn't sleep well that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting released was a process that seemed to take forever. Because of the nature of the procedure they were part of, they wouldn't let him go until they were certain his health had improved and he wasn't suffering any adverse side effects. Long story short, it took ten times too long in his opinion for them to even consider putting him back on active duty. And even after they had, it'd been so he could run the training courses and prove without a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't going to keel over the second they glanced away. It was long hours of grueling training just because he'd had a bit of trouble during the treatment. 

Big deal. At least he was still breathing, right? 

It also sucked that he'd been cut off from Jack, someone he would begrudgingly call a friend, as soon as the blond had left his side. It took finally being released for him to see him again, after he'd dragged himself back to the barracks to crash for a much needed nap. 

The other soldiers were in the mess hall, but he felt far from hungry as he crawled into his bunk and laid down, relishing the quiet that would inevitably be broken as soon as the others returned.

The silence was broken sooner than he expected it to be, the door opening with a figure slipping inside.

He kept his back to the door and eyes closed as he listened.

"Gabriel?"

He tensed, rolling onto his back and pushing himself up. "Jack?"

"It's me." Jack moved to sit beside him. "I take it you're still alive?"

"And kicking. I'm back on active duty," he said, giving him a smile.

"Good! I don't think I can deal with this crowd another moment without being able to crack a joke to someone."

He started shaking his head, amusement rising. "I think you're the first person to ever say I have a sense of humour."

"You've laughed at all my jokes so far," Jack said. "Maybe they just didn't have the right kind of humour."

"Or you've just got a twisted one."

Jack shrugged. "That too."

"I've been told this is the only thing I'd ever be good at, killing people," he said conversationally. "I'm not good at talking to people, but I can shoot and can I strategize. That's it."

"I'm sure that's not all." Jack placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you weren't given a chance to find out if you would be good at something else."

"That's not my point. Point is I'm amazed you'd latch onto someone like me." He leaned his head back against the wall, looking down at Jack.

"You're still on about this?" Jack groaned, meeting Gabriel's eyes. "Look, we're soldiers. It doesn't matter to me if you're good at killing people and strategizing, it just makes you more of an asset on the field. But what does is you stepped in before I could get pummeled on the first day."

"You could've held your own, kid, I just stepped in because I was curious about what a runt was doing here. I was convinced you were going to get slaughtered your first mission."

Jack snorted, leaning back against the headboard. "How weak do you think I am?" 

"You weren't the one bleeding from the mouth."

"I don't think weird medical reactions count as weakness," Jack said.

"You walked away from it, eight men bigger than you were dragged off in body bags. I almost was too. I think you're stronger than you look."

Jack looked at him, face neutral, considering. "People sometimes refuse to see what's beneath the surface." 

He nodded, sighing to himself. He tapped two fingers against his chest. "The treatments aren't going to get any easier after this. I'm not sure how many'll even make it to the end."

"Who knows. Maybe our bodies will build up more of a resistance to the side effects as time goes on." Jack paused, staring at one of the beds that no longer housed anyone. "More than likely, it won't."

"It won't. I'm sure of that."

"Well, you promised me you wouldn't die. So you better stay alive unless you want to be a liar." 

He chuckled weakly. "A liar's not the worst thing I've ever been called."

"Oh yeah?" 

He started rattling off a list of insults.

Jack laughed, doubling over on the bed. "Man, what did you do to people to get called those?"

He rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I told you. I don't make friends. Some of those were from my sister." 

Blue eyes lit up at the mention of his sister. "You have a sister? What's she like?" 

He hesitated. "She's brilliant. Top of her class, every year."

"Holy shit, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, she is. Always has been." He ran the palm of his hand over his pant leg. "I'm-"

The door slammed open, much less considerate of the occupants of the room than Jack's entrance had been. An average looking man entered, a half eaten muffin in his hand, eyes lighting up when they met Jack's. 

"Well, well, well. I've heard juicy things about you, Morrison, from Emilia Jenkins." 

Jack's face flushed beet red. 

Gabriel looked between them, scowling.

"Reyes, looks like we have some competition here if Jenkins is to be believed." The man picked up the paperback book that was resting on his bed. "He may be a runt but apparently he's great in the sack," he said before leaving the room entirely to make use of the free time they had in the evening.

He didn't react beyond his hand curling loosely around his pant leg.

Jack was flushed, staring at the wall, hands grasping tightly at his pant legs. "That was... uncalled for," he choked out.

"Ignore them. They'll get what's coming to them," Gabriel assured, voice darkening.

"Heh, yeah." He took several deep breaths, hands clenching and unclenching on his pant legs before meeting Gabriel's eyes. "It's stupid, if it had been anyone else he wouldn't have called them out."

"People are shitty, it's just who they are. Don't worry about it."

"Easier said than done."

"Next time they do something like that, tell them you're seeing me, it'll stop them instantly."

Jack chuckled weakly. "Isn't it a bit too soon to say we're dating?"

"It'll get them to back off. Unless you've got something else in mind that'll work," he replied, shrugging. "I don't care either way. You use that to protect yourself, or you don't, that's up to you."

"I see a bit of a flaw with your plan though."

“Yeah? And what's that?”

"What if I sleep with someone else?" Jack pointed out.

"Open relationship, problem solved."

A startled laugh escaped from Jack. "Well that's definitely one way to do it!" He breathed out between guffaws.

Gabriel waited for him to calm back down, though he wore a faint smile.

Jack's laughs soon died down to chuckles.

"So besides you getting laid, did I miss anything else important?" Gabriel asked.

"Just a lot of training. A fight broke out between two recruits, apparently one guy thought the other was cheating with his training or something."

He rolled his eyes. "So I didn't miss anything."

"Nope. Not unless you find testosterone fueled man fights a good time," Jack said, stretching out his legs on the bed.

"I'm usually one of the participants," he said, tone bordering on guilty. "But it's stupid."

"I wouldn't have been able to guess. I thought you just liked brooding in the corner," Jack joked, nudging his shoulder.

He snorted, smiling down at the blond. "You've got me all figured out, don't you?"

Jack shrugged. "Probably just that part. How much of me do you have figured out?" 

"Not much. Just that you're not what I thought you'd be," he said honestly.

"Hey now!" Jack shoved Gabriel playfully.

The older man chuckled. "Am I wrong?"

"I guess not. You're also not how I expected either."

"What did you expect?" he teased.

"More angst and 'no one understands me!'" Jack laughed.

Straight faced and tone serious Gabriel said, "I could do that."

"Please don't. I'd have to stop being your friend if you did."

"Good, because I wouldn't be able to stand it either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies on the delay, our beta was busy and Timeless has been... timeless thanks to work. Thanks for sticking with us!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the second installment of The Fire That Burns, something we've been working on for a while.   
> We really hope you enjoy it, this is something I know I've been excited about since we started it.   
> Currently aiming for Wednesday postings; we have a fair bit written and it won't be nearly as long as Burning is turning out to be.   
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
